Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Medical Massage project of Cabo Corrientes was a great success this winter/spring and will now slow down until the summer rains come and go. Mina Bererra Nuñez our lead therapist and her sister Artemia Berrera Nuñez. joined me in providing skilled care to the most needy people living in rural Cabo Corrientes.

When not donating their time to the massage project Mina and and Artemia provide high quality therapeutic massage at Majestic Massage at Playa de Oro. My husband and I never miss a week receiving a 90 minute massage with Mina, who learned many of her techniques from her father, a skilled huesero or bone setter from Guerrero.

This year the medical massage project brought treatment to Yelapa and to El Tuito and neighboring villages and the municipio of Cabo Corrientes donated space in the Cultural Center to accommodate all the people waiting for treatment.

One very cold morning we arrived at 10 am to find 12 women sitting around laughing as they shared the traditional "health" drink of raicilla, cuastecomate and chocolate to "keep warm" they said. It is also used to treat bronchitis and colds.

We treated clients of all ages; the youngest was 9 and the oldest was 82; people presented with a variety of illnesses and complaints. We treated over 100 people, many more than one time. Most of our clients could not afford a therapeutic massage and some had never received one before. For example one elderly man received treatment for neck pain, explaining he had been a tailor, bending over a sewing machine his whole life.

We treated people with epilepsy, insomnia and stress as well as survivors of stroke and polio who experienced various degrees of paralysis, as well a lot of back and neck pain from the physical and emotional stressors of life and the effects from car and horse accidents.

We received generous donations of skill and products from visiting professionals from the United States this winter; Marilyn Piper and Susan Rosen both licensed therapists from Olympia Washington donated their time providing treatment and training.

Long-time Vallarta resident, massage therapist Lucinda Martin, owner of Body Sense, Inc. Seattle, which sells innovative therapeutic hot/cold body packs and supplies, donated a special back hot/cold pack for the project. Local organizers in the various villages and towns were also generous, feeding us delicious meals and sharing news of the project with their neighbors.

Medical Massage extends therapeutic massage in that it targets specific health problems with specific protocols for a desired outcome. It is both relaxing and feels good but it is also designed to address a variety of health problems as well as musculoskeletal pain. Protocols have been designed for a variety of health needs including for chronic pain, PTSD, stroke, edema, post surgical pain, post mastectomy, dementia and diabetes.

Mina and her sister work in town year round and welcome new clients. I head back to my clinic in Olympia for the summer but we shall all convene again this fall in the '84 Vanagon, to traverse the back roads with massage tables and chairs to give back ... just a touch ... of what we receive from our friends and neighbors in Cabo Corrientes.

Dr. Leslie Korn is an educator and clinician-healer specializing in complementary/alternative medicine and indigenous healing methods, who has been conducting research in the Banderas Bay and Cabo Corrientes regions since 1973. To learn more about her work, visit DrLeslieKorn.com.

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